For many years, people have sought to organize the tools of their trade. More recently, people have sought to place the tools in a portable, organized framework. Unfortunately, few frameworks can maintain the tools of a trade in a fixed, organized pattern, and even fewer can maintain them in a portable, organized pattern. Too frequently, tools are placed in a myriad of places other than the specific place allotted to it in the organizational system. Tools are placed in the corner, left where they were last used, thrown randomly into a pile of other organized tools, and otherwise lost into an unorganized oblivion. There are many reasons of this general state of affairs.
First, and possibly most basic, given the large number of different sizes, shapes and functions of tools on the market, and the potential combinations used in any one trade, a cart designed for tool storage of one trade will not be as useful in another trade unless they use identical tools. A cart used in the lawn and garden operations will not be of much utility to a person in an automotive repair or automotive painting operation.
Secondly, many tool carts that are designed to be portable are not truly such. Due to the manner of placing a variety of different sizes and shapes of tools in or about the cart, it becomes too large, clumsy or awkward. This deprives a tool cart of its portable nature.
Third, a tool cart that is truly portable may create the need for duplicate tools in a given operational setting. If multiple similar tasks are being performed in different areas of an operation, and the tool cart is taken to one corner of the operation, someone in the opposite corner must either have his own set of tools, or walk across the operation. This is a shortcoming in any multiple user situation.
Fourth by the nature of the automotive painting industry, not only must the tools of that industry be organized, but also the materials, clean-up and waste must be organized as well. For proper painting procedures to occur, materials, equipment, and the surface of the object to be painted must be free of contaminants. In addition areas not to be painted must be effectively hidden under paper masks from the painting procedure. This creates an inordinate amount of waste paper and waste paint products, all of which must be effectively handled.
Heretofore, tool carts have been of a nature that will adequately transport and store tools, but have not been of a design allowing for the detachment of multiple subassembly or unit.
The following United States patents are the closest prior art of which the inventor is aware.
Helms: U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,366 possesses wheels 2,bottom storage box 1,and compartments18,20.
Wells: U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,731 possesses wheels 28.
Johnson et al.: U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,843 possesses wheels 60,tool receptacles14,18,hook 134,and frame 12.
None of the references to the prior art discloses a tool cart performing all of the functions as previously described and hereafter claimed.